


The Avengers may save the world (but Social Scientists rule it)

by Em88



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Women Being Awesome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-10
Updated: 2014-08-10
Packaged: 2018-02-12 14:24:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2113266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Em88/pseuds/Em88
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pepper Potts meets Darcy Lewis and ends up mentoring her. They bond over social media, genius-herding, Shield's invasive practices, and dealing with falling for an Avenger. Also, they save the world. Repeatedly. With tasers, Louboutins and their combined sheer awesomeness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Avengers may save the world (but Social Scientists rule it)

It all began when Jane decided to work for the Man.

Well, if you want to get technical, it all began when an alien Norse God was exiled to Earth to Learn a Lesson, but throw in Asgardian Politics and Little Bros with Daddy Issues wreaking havoc on the town of Puerto Antigo, literal star-crossed lovers, and you get the script of a potential summer blockbuster.

Sadly, it would never come to pass, because of the Men in Black who stole I-pods, Jane’s research and made you sign hundreds of NDAs.

NDAs which were all moot now that the world knew of the very public Attack of the Dark Elves in London and the Thwarted Chitauri Invasion of New York.  
Darcy would be lying if she pretended to be sad about it.  
Her wrist had ached for weeks after these NDAs.

Post-London and Thor’s untimely departure for Asgard, Jane had received two work offers. One from SHIELD, and one from Tony Stark.  
SHIELD should have known better. They had stolen Jane’s research, they had sent her in Tromso under false pretenses, and they had returned Erik to them in a less-than-pristine condition.  
Really, the Man of Iron offered better terms. As far as Darcy was concerned, a Stark-sponsored sandbox in New York beat out a sandy desert in New Mexico.  
The generous stipend granted by Stark Industries to the broke intern was an added bonus. Call her mercenary, but she had student loans to pay back.

So, to New York they went: Jane, Erik and herself.  
(Without the Intern. After their adrenaline-filled kiss, the Intern could not handle her daily awesomeness, and Erik’s continued pantless-ness.  
No hard feelings, though. Some things must be too hot to handle *wink, wink*).

\----------

Darcy was busy helping Jane settling in her shiny new lab in the Avengers Tower, carrying boxes of fragile equipment held together by sheer faith and duct tape, Jane’s secret weapons in all things science-related.  
“Hold the door!” she launched herself into the elevator. Boxes tilted precariously.  
“Allow me, ma’am.”  
Boxes were lifted from her arms and taken into the custody of a blond, blue-eyed good Samaritan who looked like the kind of man boxes filled with fragile equipment would feel safe with.  
Darcy knew she would. Those arms could compete with Thor’s for the “Most delightfully muscular” award.  
She stuck out her now free hand:  
“Darcy Lewis, assistant to the new mad scientist in town. Thanks for rescuing the boxes.”  
He shook it without losing his balance:  
“Steve Rogers. Pleased to meet you.”  
“Wait…Steve Rogers? Like Original Captain America Steve Rogers?” she said, incredulous.  
He ducked his head bashfully.  
“Well…,” he edged on, clearly ill-at-ease.  
Darcy did a double-take.  
Well, it explained the muscles- and she was in Avengers Tower.  
If there was a place where Avengers meet-up could happen, it made sense that it would be the Avengers Tower. Duh.  
Now she could see it. She had watched the footage of the Battle of New York.  
The man besides her was the man in the Captain America get-up who had fought Loki and the Chitauri, running around in spandex. Very tight, form-hugging spandex. She had seen naked Greek statues revealing less of their anatomy.  
But Greek statues had the unfortunate characteristic of being made of marble. Seeing this new Captain America up close, in the flesh, was another experience.  
He was so deliciously flesh-y.  
Right. Now she sounded like some famished zombie.  
Wait, had he actually introduced himself as Steve Rogers, like the First Captain America?  
That was so not on.  
“That is so not on… All right, I get that you picked up the mantle, that there must be some serious pressure going on, because remakes are unfavorably compared to originals, but the name-taking is taking it too far. Nobody can ever live up to the first Captain America’s legacy.”  
Bulls eye, judging by his blush. Classic impostor syndrome.  
“Point is, you should not have to. Don’t sweat it, dude. Take it from the girl with several alien invasions under her belt”- well, two totally counted as several in her book, “you did pretty well against the Chitauri for a rookie.”  
She gave him a thumbs-up and took back her boxes. He just stared at her, looking somewhat confused.  
She stepped out of the elevator:  
“The shield might not quite work like Mew-Mew, but you must be pretty worthy to handle it”, she said as a parting gift.  
The doors closed on him, but not before she caught the beginning of a genuine smile on Fake Captain’s lips.  
Yep. She rocked at pep talks.

\---

Two weeks later, she met Previously-Thought-Speared-by-Loki Agent Coulson in the lobby.  
“Son of Coul!”  
“Miss Lewis.”  
“Looking pretty spry for a corpse. Whatever they gave you after Loki almost killed you, I want some.”  
“I can assure you my recovery in Tahiti was grueling, Miss Lewis.”  
“Tahiti? There are worse places to recover in, I guess.”  
“It’s a magical place,” Coulson said reverently.  
Darcy always knew that even unflappable secret agents had a weakness. Coulson’s appeared to be sandy beaches and clear turquoise waters.  
“If I break out the luau, will your shadowy organization give me back my I-pod?"  
“Have a good day, Miss Lewis.”

Sigh. Well. It was worth a shot.

\--------

“Phil!”

Darcy did that awkward “let me get out of your line of sight discreetly” dance as Pepper Potts greeted the Man of the Hour herself.  
She tried very hard not to look like she was eavesdropping, so that plausible deniability could be an option.

It was all very mundane, until one familiar bit:  
“I went to Tahiti. It’s a magical place.”

Darcy had no literal spidey senses to speak of…  
…but they were totally tingling.

**Author's Note:**

> I proposed this prompt last year and nobody filled it, so I’m going to attempt to fill my own prompt. If you want something done, do it yourself, right?  
> My first fic in this particular fandom, yeah!  
> Not quite sure where I'm going, though... 
> 
> This is set after The Avengers & Thor2.  
> I might use elements from CA: TWS and AOS later on, but I won’t follow the timelines.  
> Feedback and suggestions are quite welcome!


End file.
